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Time Is Running Out to Return Your Unwanted Holiday Gifts
By Pete Grieve MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
Deadlines are fast approaching for Amazon, TikTok Shop and more.
Still have holiday gifts you haven’t gotten around to returning? It’s time to stop slacking: Many major return deadlines are coming up fast.
After Christmas and into January is typically the busiest time of the year for retail returns, and return activity in the U.S. has been elevated recently. At the end of last year, retailers estimated that 16.9% of 2024 sales would be returned, up from just over 8% in 2019, according to a National Retail Foundation (NRF) report.
In the age of online shopping, consumers can end up buying things they’re not even sure they want, and shoppers may purchase multiple items or sizes with the plan to return the ones they don’t like. Return rates were expected to be 21% higher for online shopping compared to the overall annual return rate, according to the report.
Retailers have tried to address the rise of returns with policy changes. Companies have shortened their return windows or added fees to try to slow the flood of returns and offset related costs.
That said, return policies are often relaxed for the holidays. Gift-giving leads to huge volumes of returns every year, as it’s generally harder to shop for other people than for yourself. Plus, gift recipients may prefer to just have some extra cash.
10 major holiday return deadlines
If you received holiday gifts that don’t fit your body or don’t match your style, you should be aware of upcoming return deadlines. Don’t get stuck with unwanted items just because you were unaware of a policy.
Here’s a quick breakdown of 10 major retailers’ holiday return deadlines:
Amazon
Most Amazon items bought in November and December have a return window ending Friday, Jan. 31. There may be exceptions, like Apple products, which had a Jan. 15 return deadline.
Walmart
Walmart’s extended holiday return window ends Jan. 31. This date applies to most Walmart and Walmart.com purchases from October through December. Generally, Walmart has a 90-day return window for in-store purchases, but it doesn’t apply to all items.
Target
Target has a 90-day return window, but it doesn’t apply to electronics and other select items. The retailer extended a holiday return deadline for electronics to Jan. 24 this year, but that date has passed. Target-brand items can be returned within 365 days with a receipt.
Costco
The wholesale retailer doesn’t usually adjust its return policy for the holidays, but that’s because it’s considered one of the most generous to begin with. Keep in mind that Costco has a 90-day return window for electronics.
TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop has a Feb. 10 return deadline for items purchased between Nov. 13 and the end of December.
Abercrombie
Abercrombie items purchased in November and December have a special return deadline of Jan. 31, according to the brand’s return policy.
Nordstrom
Nordstrom does not have a defined time window for returns. Its return policy simply states that returns are handled on a “case-by-case” basis.
Macy’s
The department store is accepting returns until the end of the month (Jan. 31) for most purchases dated Oct. 7 through Dec. 31.
Kohl’s
Most Kohl’s items can be returned within a 180-day window, but electronics are an exception. For the holidays, Kohl’s extended a special Jan. 31 return deadline for electronics. It applies to items purchased between Nov. 1 and Dec. 25.
Sephora
Sephora has an extended holiday return window that ends Jan. 31, but it only covers items purchased from Nov. 1 to Dec. 1. Refunds are usually only available within 30 days, but you can still receive a credit if the item is new or gently used.
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Pete Grieve is a New York-based reporter who covers personal finance news. At Money, Pete covers trending stories that affect Americans’ wallets on topics including car buying, insurance, housing, credit cards, retirement and taxes. He studied political science and photography at the University of Chicago, where he was editor-in-chief of The Chicago Maroon. Pete began his career as a professional journalist in 2019. Prior to joining Money, he was a health reporter for Spectrum News in Ohio, where he wrote digital stories and appeared on TV to provide coverage to a statewide audience. He has also written for the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Sun-Times and CNN Politics. Pete received extensive journalism training through Report for America, a nonprofit organization that places reporters in newsrooms to cover underreported issues and communities, and he attended the annual Investigative Reporters and Editors conference in 2021. Pete has discussed his reporting in interviews with outlets including the Columbia Journalism Review and WBEZ (Chicago's NPR station). He’s been a panelist at the Chicago Headline Club’s FOIA Fest and he received the Institute on Political Journalism’s $2,500 Award for Excellence in Collegiate Reporting in 2017. An essay he wrote for Grey City magazine was published in a 2020 book, Remembering J. Z. Smith: A Career and its Consequence.